the literature indicates that people are mostly “truthful” about their online identities; this is more prevalent the more that users are targeting friends and family in their audience, even though they are generally aware that the public may be part of their audience
one article with homeless mothers talked about them presenting their dreams as middle class, mainstream and conservative online – analyzed as an escape from class
Authenticity is cited in one article as being important as a way to get students engaged. This means using authentic material from the students own lives. Instructor in this article mentioned that this is a two way street and that she also shares stories from her own life.
Siegel (2007)
pg 100-101
Using authentic materials encourages learners to see that they hold significant and important knowledge. Consequently, they become more invested in the learning process.
Siegel (2007) pg 100
Emphasized that it is important for educators to articulate how a learning activity applies to their individual goals. i.e. reading and writing skills needed to pass GED so by learning how to tell their stories students strengthen and develop reading and writing skills.
Siegel (2007) pg 100
Social Steganography as referenced in the definitions is important to an individual's online identity.
managing identity in YouTube is done by using the technical affordances of the software such as the information put on your 'channel' (similar to profiles in other SNSs) controlling who sees your videos by sharing with 'Friends only', or by manipulating other social features. For example, monitoring comments allows the user to eliminate certain types of comments that show up on a video. Tags can be used used in ways that make a video easier or harder to find. Some video makers disguise/obscure themselves in their videos so they can't be recognized.
Lange, 2008
Note: I have heard/read that although YouTube has the capability of being a SNS, those features are not used very heavily. However, this article focuses on the use of these features and it seems like there is an active YouTube community. We might need to check into this if we want to bring in YouTube very much.
Donath uses Signalling Theory to explore "ways of achieving reliable information about identity and affiliations" (233) in SNS. Some signals are easier to fake: conventional ones for example, which is what mostly goes on profile pages. Conventional signals are kept honest by the laws and social mores; so the mores of the people in your network will influence the degree of honesty in profiles.
Donath, 2008
The list of people in one's network provides a context for one's profile. Looking at who is in someone's network can provide additional information about the person; for example, if someone's profile is particularly aggressive, but all their friends have conservative profiles, one might question the profile's reliability more than if the profiles of the friends are of similar vent.
Donath, 2008
People tend to trust new people when we meet those people through friends we trust. So, our network on a SNS signal our trustworthiness to others. "One of the most valuable contributions of SNSs is their potential to add trust to weak ties" (236). Site design can make our networks more or less useful as a signal of trustworthiness. If network growth is indiscriminate, then it won't help, or if people try to accumulate numbers of friends, then it won't work either.
Donath, 2008
A list of friends however, does not distinguish between close ties and weak ties. Looking at the length, frequency an content of comments posted on friends' walls provides a profile of the relationship.
Donath, 2008
Checking things like network profiles and communication pattern take time. The cost is often too high and people will often default to the less reliable 'conventional' information. Donath suggests that making it easier to 'read' the other information is something that might be features of SNS in the future as a way of avoiding spammers and fakers.
Donath, 2008
Donath points out that different SNS are designed differenty and that fits for the different purposes of various SNS.
Identity
pg 100-101